The full guide
Read straight through, or use the planning notes above to shape an easier coastal day.
Lifeguard cover changes by beach and season. Check the RNLI's current patrol dates before travelling, then follow local signs, flags and lifeguard advice on the day. Do not rely on a previous year's timetable.
Gunwalloe sits on the western shore of the Lizard, looking out across the wide sweep of Mounts Bay. The two sandy coves here, Church Cove and Dollar Cove, are separated by a low rocky outcrop and are cared for by the National Trust, set within the Cornwall National Landscape. Both are sandy at low tide and fringed with rock pools, with Dollar Cove gathering a scatter of boulders at its margins. The setting is dramatic and open, the kind of place that feels properly elemental when the wind comes in off the sea.
Dollar Cove takes its name from a piece of local lore: the Spanish ship San Salvador is said to have been wrecked on the rocks here in the seventeenth century, scattering a cargo of silver coins that have surfaced on the beach ever since. It is one of several shipwreck tales attached to this exposed coast, and the medieval churchyard above the sand is the resting place of sailors lost along it.
The coves have also found a wider audience as a filming location for the television series Poldark, whose early episodes used this stretch of the Lizard to stand in for wilder, earlier Cornwall. For most visitors, though, the appeal is simpler: a sheltered patch of sand for a swim or a picnic, rock pools to explore as the tide drops, and the cliff path opening up views along Mounts Bay in either direction.
Common questions
- Where is Gunwalloe Church Cove?
- Gunwalloe Church Cove is on the west coast of the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, facing Mounts Bay and within the Cornwall National Landscape. The beach is cared for by the National Trust.
- What is Gunwalloe known for?
- It is best known for the medieval church of St Winwaloe set in the dunes above the sand, often called the 'Church of the Storms', and for its two coves, Church Cove and Dollar Cove. The setting is wild and scenic, with a long history of shipwrecks offshore.
- Are there lifeguards at Gunwalloe Church Cove?
- RNLI lifeguards patrol Church Cove during the peak summer weeks. A seasonal dog restriction also applies on the main beach in high summer, so check the current signs, patrol dates and flags before you visit.
